Comparing Loaders and Receivers: Similarities, Differences, and Applications
June 25, 2019 | Doug Brewster, Conveying Products Manager
Material receivers and loaders share a couple of key similarities: Depending on their configurations, both can receive, hold, and discharge…
Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0: Four key criteria for equipment monitoring solutions
May 15, 2019 | Alan Landers, Product Manager, Blending and Upstream Products
I recently read a Plastics Technology article, authored by Max Preston of Smart Attend, discussing how an automotive parts manufacturer…
Drying
What’s the role of a crystallizer?
May 8, 2019 | AJ Zambanini, Drying Products Manager
In simplest terms, a crystallizer is a heating device that converts virgin, post-process, or scrap PET from an amorphous state…
General
Why our best ideas are always yours.
April 29, 2019 | Rich Shaffer, VP of Product Development and Implementation
I’ve worked most of my career in product development. And people who learn about that often ask: ‘Where do you…
Downstream Extrusion
What’s behind the explosion in extruder productivity?
April 22, 2019 | Ernie Preiato - Vice President Extrusion Sales
I’ve been in this business 30-plus years and continue to be amazed at the pace at which tubing extrusion technology…
Blending
Gravimetric and volumetric feeders: What are they? And what is the difference?
April 8, 2019 | Alan Landers, Product Manager, Blending and Upstream Products
Feeders are auxiliary equipment that dispense a measured amount of an ingredient—a resin, a colorant, or an additive—into resin entering…
Heat Transfer
Chiller Sizing, Part 2: The “Old-School” Way
April 4, 2019 | Jim Fisher - Sales Manager Heat Transfer
If you don’t like the idea of expert guidelines for estimating process heat loads, or just plain prefer to make…
Heat Transfer
Chiller sizing, Part 1: The Easy Way
March 25, 2019 | Jim Fisher - Sales Manager Heat Transfer
Chillers come in all sizes, from enormous, plant-sized central units that can deliver 500-plus tons of cooling per hour to…
Aftermarket
How do you maintain processing equipment? And how will you do it in the future?
March 18, 2019 | Brian Dowler, Vice President, Aftermarket Service
Keeping every element of a plastics processing plant running, starting with the maintenance of primary and auxiliary processing equipment, is…
Conveying
What does a purge valve do?
March 11, 2019 | Doug Brewster, Conveying Products Manager
A purge valve is an integral component of a vacuum material conveying system that not only provides an on/off flow…